Florida Museum of Natural History paleontologists are recruiting volunteers to help excavate a recently discovered site in eastern Levy County that has produced thousands of fossils, including more than 55 vertebrate species.

Researchers are enthusiastic about the 5- to 5.5 million-year-old fossils being recovered and say it is the first site of this particular age found in North Central Florida.

Halloween is officially on Monday, Oct. 31, but here in these parts the superheroes, princesses and goblins will be celebrating it all weekend.

The activities kick off on Saturday afternoon when the Suwannee River Moose Family Center hosts a Children's Halloween Party from 1 to 3 p.m. All children are welcome and there will ne games, prizes and refreshments. The lodge is at 8231 N.W. 167th Place in Fanning Springs. For more information, call 352-507-0551.

Haven Hospice of the Tri Counties is inviting community veterans to a Veterans Appreciation Luncheon on Friday, Nov. 4, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Haven Hospice Community Building at 311 N.E. 9th St., Chiefland.

Veterans interested in attending are asked to RSVP to Vondla Sullivan by calling 352-493-2333 or emailing vdsulivan@havenhospice.org by Tuesday, Nov. 1 to confirm your attendance.

The Florida Forest Festival, a celebration of the forestry industry in Taylor County, with the “World's Largest FREE Fish Fry,” lumberjack shows and competitions, arts and crafts, antique car show, Heritage Village, children's games & story telling, opens today (Thursday, Oct. 20) and runs through Saturday, Oct. 22. There wil also be many musical groups performing live.

The Friends of the Luther Callaway Public Library (FLCPL), the Chiefland branch of the Levy County Public Library System, meet on the second Thursday of the month at 11 a.m. at the library, 104 N.E. 3rd St., Chiefland.

The Friends support the library by promoting the library’s programs and resources and through fund-raising projects to purchase reading materials, books on tape, videos, operating supplies and minor equipment. There are no dues.

The Gator Nation may not have a football game to enjoy on Saturday, Oct. 22 but there are at least three events to keep fans in Levy County busy.

In the morning the 12th Annual Ride to Provide, a run through the prettiest parts of Levy County, starts registering folks at 7:30 a.m. at the Levy ARC campus in Otter Creek. This is one of two big fundraisers for the center that provides services for developmentally disabled adults.

The Drummond Farmhouse at Rocky Hammock Preserve in Chiefland makes its return as the host site for the 10th Annual Fall at the Farm to Benefit Haven Hospice this Saturday, Oct. 22, and its vintage treasures from the 1800s are sure to make it a special night.

Its many historical pieces are too many for even their owners Luther and Kay Drummond to recount, but volunteer guides will be on hand before the start of the fundraising event and to help inform guests of the history behind the various items.